Bengaluru: In his first meeting with revenue officials, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar toed a hard line. On Monday, the administrator set officials a weekly target on collection of property tax, which he himself would monitor.

He directed the officials to establish special tax collection centres at nationalised banks, post offices and citizen service centres of the BBMP, and set them a target of Rs 1,200 crore by the end of May.

“I shall monitor the revenue collection myself. There are many under-valued properties, whose tax need to be revised. If need be, I shall join the team to reassess these properties. I have asked officials to collect the revised taxes from owners in such areas,” Vijay Bhaskar told sources.

He also asked the deputy commissioner (revenue) to submit to him the names of the three assistant revenue officers who have collected the most and least tax so far this year.

The administrator said if people pay their property taxes before the end of April, they will get a five per cent rebate. “I have asked officials to give publicity to this so that tax collection is expedited,” he said.

According to Vijay Bhaskar, BBMP has the potential to collect Rs 6,000 crore as revenue from property tax; it collects around Rs 1,800 at present.

“Of 20 lakh properties, only 13 lakh come under the tax net. Survey of remaining properties should be done using GIS (geographic information system), and properties should be identified and brought under the tax net,” he said.